When I think of dying, I know that I am susceptible to heart attacks and other things related to my poor dietary and exercise habits. I am aware of that. What scares me are the things you can seemingly do nothing about. One of those big on my list is a blood clot. A report released by the coroner in charge of investigating Heavy D's death said he died of a blood clot which he got after a long plane ride. The clot worked its way loose while he was shopping and he died. Everytime I take a really long plane flight, I practically stay up for a day or two after, really worried some clot is going to break loose. I have heard you can sometimes see the clots on other parts of your body and can get to a doctor. I am like a cat licking myself after a long flight. That is probably why I am up a day or two. I have a lot of area to cover.
Checking yourself after a long period of inactivity is a good thing. I lost my son to an embolisim. It came from his leg. He's just gotten up in the morning when it happened.
ReplyDeleteBlood clots freak me out as well. I knew someone who just dropped from one hitting his brain. Perfectly healthy guy too.
ReplyDeleteI've been through blood clot scares with my mom and my son's grandfather... it IS a bit freaky, they can come out of nowhere if you're not being treated for something that points them out to you. Whenever mom gets on a plane, I worry. Every time I see her she complains (justifiably) about those ugly socks you're made to wear. Enty - take care of yourself!
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid of brain aneurysms, my aunt died of one. Just sat one moment, and gone the next.
ReplyDeleteWow, Merry Christmas everyone! This is certainly a downer.
I've read, more than once, that's it's a good idea to get up and walk/stretch a bit when you're on a long flight. Sitting in the same position for many hours can cause this.
ReplyDeleteSorry dirtydisher about your son.
Poor overweight lover, Heavy D :(
ReplyDeleteSo sorry dirtydisher =(
ReplyDeletedirtydisher, I'm so sorry to hear of your loss.
ReplyDelete4 years ago I had blood clots in my lungs caused by a medication I was on. It was so frightening as I never felt the clot in my leg. It sent me into a bit of a depression and we decided not to have any more kids due to the risk of getting blood clots while pregnant.
We've taken a few road trips and we stop every 1-2 hours so I can walk around. I drink a lot of water. I have not flown in 10 years but I know the thought of it really scares me.
Stay active during travel, after travel and after surgery everyone!
My FIL is prone to blood clots and was warned by his doctor not to take long flights or car rides after landing in the hospital with a clot in his leg. Even a flight from Chicago to FLA was deemed too much of a risk. (He was in Wis. at the time and had to cancel his flight back and drive a rental car instead after promising to take frequent breaks to walk around. I think it took him 4 days to get back down to his home in FLA). My FIL is obese and has had heart problems, so those certainly factor in too.
ReplyDeleteYpu HAVE to get up and walk around on plane flights. Especially the way they cram you in there now.
ReplyDeleteI am only 5'6", but I took a Continental flight in July, that my feet went NUMB after a while. It was a red eye, so I thought I'd just relax. hell no, the way I had to sit was miserable. I walked laps around that plane. I hate flying.
from what I read he got the clot from flying back from England for the Michael Jackson tribute concert.
ReplyDeleteSo, as I see it, Dr. Murray killed another one.
Great, now I'm certain I'm going to die.
ReplyDeleteContinental is hell on earth. I took an overnight, 11 hour flight and I was in the middle seat of the middle aisle. I'm also 5'6". I stupidly didn't take off my shoes. I had sprained my ankle a few months before and wow did that ankle swell up. I couldn't walk for a couple of days.
I've been told that on a plane you should jiggle your legs as you sit, rotate your ankles, then flex forward and back, while sitting on a plane.
ReplyDeleteGreat, I'm om Day 5 of the flu and complete inactivity and now I'm paranoid this is going to happen to me. ;-P
At my husband's family dinner yesterday, I was observing my sister-in-law. Only 51, but she's already had a number of clotting close calls, does 0 exercise, and when she tries to get out of an easy chair it's like watching the Titanic getting hauled up. I fear she could get THE clot any day.
ReplyDeletedirtydisher - I am so sorry about your son.
ReplyDeleteI have two inherited clotting disorders - the only reason I know about them was after years of infertility and extensive testing, we found two clotting factors that account for my numerous miscarriages. When pregnant (like now, for instance), I do daily injections of blood thinners to help prevent clots.
One of the clotting factors I have is very risky for the unborn baby. The other clotting factor I have is very common among the general population (MTHFR). I wouldn't be surprised if people who have suffered these clots have one or both gene mutations.
ENTY, I'm not sure what you mean by checking yourself for clots and how you can "see" them. Sometimes if you have a blood clot, the area can become warm, red and tender to the touch but it's not a given and some people have no symptoms whatsoever. You can't "check yourself" for clots is basically what I'm saying. I'm a trained vascular tech so I'm not just pulling this stuff out of my ass. lol Degree and all. I'm the chick that does the ultrasounds for the vascular surgeon(s).
ReplyDeleteThe way you can be checked for blood clots is to have an ultrasound of your extremities. If there is shortness of breath/chest pain then they start working up the lungs with x-rays, CAT and VQ scans. Those are the standard tests. Some people can throw a clot and still walk around with just some discomfort while others will literally drop dead immediately. It all depends on where the clot lands in the lungs and how big the clot is, etc. There are some people who could throw a clot in front of a trauma team and still not survive it. That is what is really scary about it.
There are a lot of risk factors but the main problem is lack of movement. When the blood doesn't move, it clots. So whatever causes your blood to be stationary is bad whether it's being fat, having diabetes, blood disorder or being a couch potato.
If you fly a lot, getting up and moving around is good to do like others have stated. Every hour or so is fine. If it's not possible, you can always flex your feet up and down to pump your calf muscles instead. Your calf muscles are the body's pump to return blood back to the lungs to get more O2 to feed your body...yada,yada,yada. As long as that chain is moving , you are good. You can even squeeze your calves and that would work as well. However! If you know you have a clot, DO NOT squeeze your leg! (you would think that would be common sense but trust....it's not)
One of my doctors that I treat with had one and she didn't have any particular high risk problems nor did she have any alarming symptoms. She just had some difficulty breathing but blew it off for half the day until it became too much. Here she had 2 clots in her lungs. Lucky doesn't even describe it. Still to this day she doesn't know where the clots came from and doesn't know why they developed. That would make me more paranoid than having a risk factor to tell you the truth.
well there goes my love of being a couch potato, thanks a lot @Blah. I'm jogging in place as I am typing this ;0)
ReplyDeleteThank you Blah!
ReplyDeleteI had swelling in my calves, particularly the right one, wit heat coming off my right calf. Finally went to the ER in late September, where a doctor told me I to cut down on the salt. Three months later I was shooting pool with my sister and some cousins. By this time I was having shooting pain in my leg up through my inner thigh. When we were leaving I asked my sister, a nurse, if she knew what was going on with my calf and pulled up my right pants leg. She looked down, and up, and said "That's cellulitis. You need to get to a hospital fast." I waited until the next day and went to the ER. When I told them what my sis said (I wasn't taking any chances), it took them all of 5 minutes to get me into a room, and hook me up with IV antibiotics. I knew it was bad. I also got an echo of my right leg and an X ray of my lungs, because I was in danger of throwing a clot. Five months I was walking around with this. Oy. I am definitely wary of clots.
LOL @Bob- I'm a couch potato but I have restless leg syndrome. ha. Just make sure you take your lazy ass to the toilet or the fridge on the regular and you are good. ;)
ReplyDeleteDo keep your eye on that mngoddess but I'm sure you don't need to be told that. Don't be shy about telling your doctor if you happen to get more pain than normal, a different kind of pain that makes you worry or if it travels up your leg. That cellulitis can be such a bitch to treat.
When I was in my clinical training, my friends and I all kept thinking we had blood clots if we had the least bit of pain in our legs or arms. lol I think that happens to a lot of medical workers when they go through training to some extent. Frankly, some of the stuff they teach you makes you wonder how we all manage to get through the day. lol
I worry about stuff like this too.
ReplyDelete